Oscar beisheim



No Model.)

O. BESHBIM.

` PUZZLE.

No. 559,661. Patented May 5, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OSCAR BEISHEIM, OF vNEV YORK, N. Y.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,661, dated May 5, 1896.

Application filed February 26,1896. Serial No. 580,769. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Oscar: BEIsI-IEIM, of New York. city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the vfell owing is a full, clear,and exact description.

This invention relates to a puzzle of a class wherein balls or like movable objects arc in closed in a small case and by manipulation of the receptacle are caused to enter a certain compartment therein, the moving object being exposed to View through a glazed lid.

The object of the invention is to provide a puzzle of the indicated character which is of unique construction and that will ailford amusement, While requiring skill and good judgment for its solution.

The invention. consists in the novel con struction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is aplanviewof the novel puzzle. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the puzzlecase substantially on the line 2 2 in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view essentially on the line l et in Fig. Fig. 5 is a sectional side view substantially on the line 5 5 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 isa transverse sectional viewthrough the center of the ease on the line G G in Fig. 2.

The case 1G is formed of any suitable material, and preferably is rectangular in contour, having a removable lid 11, provided with a glazed portion 12 of less area than the case, said transparent portion being held in position Within the depending ilange 13, that is a side Wall of the marginal portion of the lid. Four partitionwalls 14E 15 16 17 are erected in the case 10, each parallel and spaced from a respective side wall of said case, as best shown in Fig. 2, the intervening spaces 1S being preferably of equal width. The space inclosed by the i'our partition-Walls mentioned is evenly subdivided by four partitions a l) c d, that are suitably spaced apart in pairs, one pair crossing the other pair at right angles, and preferably the spaces intervening the partitions o. l) and c d are equal to t-he spaces between each of these pairs of Walls and the partitions 14 l5 and 16 17, with which they are respectively arranged in parallel.

It will be seen that the disposition of the partitions a b col as described cuts the space inclosed by the Walls la 15 1li 17 into nine equal squares or compartments of rectangular outline, of which A A A2 A3 are corner sqn ares and B the central compartment. The squares located between the corner compartments are each subdivided by three evenlyspaced partitions, as shown at c f g, hilf, Z m n., and 0 p r in Fig. 2.

In one of the spaces 1S, that for distinction may be termed streets, two coverts 19 are located, these having inclined roofs, each perforated, as shown at S in Figs. 2, il, 5, and (l. In the street 1S, that is parallel with the one having coverts, a spring keeper-plate 20, bent so as to provide a cavity beneath it, is secured at one end to the bottom of the case, the free resilient end being normally held near the bottom of the case by the impinge of a limb t, that projects from the keeperplate upon the inner surface of the lid 12 When the latter is completely closed.

The coverts 19 are provided as places of concealment for a small ball 21, that represents a thiei` or burglar, who may enter either covert through the small apertures s and remain concealed. A money vault or safe 22 is indicated in the central room B, which latter is to represent a bank. The coverts 19 are proportioned so that a space will intervene them, and in the street 18 thus left unoccupied the upright partition 16 is apertured, as at u, forming passages into two narrow lanes that are laterally bounded by the partitions l), fn, m, and l. An aperture u, equal in dimensions to those formed in the parti tion 16, is produced in the partition Z and also in the partitions a l), thus opening a road from the street 1S and eoverts therein int-o the corner spaces A A2 for the small ball 21 to traverse, and in each of the partitions m fn. a smaller opening o is formed, through Which the small ball 2l Will roll; but a ball slightly larger, that can traverse the apertures u, will not pass through the Opening o. Perforations u and o, of two diameters, are formed in the side Walls a b c (l, and also in the partitions IOO e, f, g, 7i, t', k, o, jp, and 0, arranged substan* tially in the order represented in Fig. 2, which afford paths of a more er less devious nature, and the partitions ll 17 are also perforated,

affording apertures u, that 'are' avenuesv 'for traverse from the other streets '18, which are exterior of the squares or spaces A A A2 A3. A ball 23, that represents a detective, is to be placed in hiding under the spring-plate 20, and said ball, Whiehv ean only roll through the openings u, is prevented eseaping until the corner of the lid ll is slightly elevated above the limb t, which Will perinit the plate to rise at its free end.

The nature of the puzzle consists in the requirement that the detective, indieated by the larger ball 28, shall be inoved through vpassages this vball Will pass through and eateh the thief7 represented bythe smaller ball 2l, and this is rendered more difficult from the v fact that the vsmall ball can roll through any ot the apertures in the partitions, while' the larger ball ean pass through but a limited number of vthese apertures. v

The operation is substantialbT as follows:v

Assuming that the ball 2l is in one of the Coverts 19 and the ballvlis held in the cavity below the keeper 20, to solve the puzzle by one unaoquainted with the interior Construction of the deviee'the first obstaclev to overcome is the starting of the thiei` .2l from the eovert toward the bank. To do this, the ease lO must be'inve'rt'ed', which Willffaeilitate the rolling of the smaller ball out of the perforation s inthe roof of the eovert wherein the ball is located. tering the ball 2l, Within the spaee bounded vbythe partitions 14 15.16 17,v must release the detective, to do which the lid of the ease lO must be raised at the eorner above the keeper 20; and the one solving the puzzle may be required to find out how to start the detective. As the passages are arranged, the detective may traverse paths shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, so as to enter the bank or eenter Then the operator, after en,

square B, and also pass aeross intotlie street 1S, wherein the eoverts 19 are located, and the solution rof 'the rpuzzle requires that the thief and detective be brought together in the eentral square or bank Having thus described my invention. l,

elaini as new and desire to seeure by Letters f ',Pa't-ent-y l. A puzzle, Comprising a closed ease'interhaving an adjustable glazed lid, partitions in the ease, crossing at right angles and produc.v lng streets inolosing squares or compartments. other partitions in some of the compartments affording' lanes, all the partitions vbeingvperv f v orated to provide paths from the streets to a Central square,zs01ne ofthe perforations ing smaller than others, two balls yof different diameters, the smaller ball being adapted to traverse'all thelanes and pass through all the perforations, and the other ball being revstrioted to movement in predetermined paths.

a Covert in one 'oli' the Streets, vhaving a perforation in its roof through Whieh the smaller .ball only `Will pass, and a spring f keeper adapted to oever the larger ball and located in one of the streets,the said keeper being permitted to release the confined ball when the lid of the ease is raised, substantially as described.

OSCAR BEISHEIM.

lVitnesses:

L. C. GnoeK, XV. F. HAMMARTH. 

